Sell excess office and school supplies
Get an offer for overstock and leftover office and school supplies: writing instruments, notebooks, paper, binders, backpacks, ink and toner, planners, calculators and office furniture. Offers depend on the back-to-school calendar, year-dated items, ink expiry and the weight of paper. Send a SKU list and photos.
Reviewed by Tyler Kober · Updated
Key takeaways
- School supplies run on one big calendar: leftovers appear after the back-to-school season and the trade buys well before the next one.
- Planners and calendars printed with a year lose most of their value once that year starts.
- Ink and toner cartridges have install-by dates and OEM versus compatible status, both of which change price.
- Paper is heavy and humidity-sensitive; damp, curled or yellowed paper is salvage.
What office and school products can I get an offer on?
- Writing: pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, crayons, colored pencils
- Paper goods: notebooks, composition books, loose-leaf and copy paper, index cards, sticky notes, construction paper
- Organization: binders, folders, dividers, pencil cases, desk organizers
- Backpacks and lunch boxes
- Ink and toner: printer cartridges and toner
- Electronics: calculators, label makers, shredders
- Planners and calendars
- Office furniture: chairs, desks, filing and storage, new and boxed
- Art and craft supplies
Sources include retailer back-to-school leftovers, office supply distributor overstock, packaging changes, and planners or licensed products that missed their window. Backpacks also appear on our luggage page, since buyers overlap.
Back to school runs this category
Most consumer school-supply buying happens in a short window before school starts. In the US that is mainly mid to late summer; in many Latin American, Caribbean and Southern Hemisphere countries the school year starts at different times, which gives exporters a second market for US leftovers. Before you decide a leftover season is dead, check when the school year starts in the markets exporters serve; in the Southern Hemisphere it typically begins early in the calendar year, so US leftovers sold in autumn can still reach those shelves in time.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Late summer | Retail back-to-school selling; leftovers start to show |
| Autumn | Retailers clear leftovers; closeout buyers active |
| Winter to spring | Discount, bin and export buyers plan next season |
| Early summer | Last chance before the next retail season |
Sellers who wait to see whether leftovers "might sell next year" pay storage while buyers fill their plans with other stock.
Dated, licensed and trend products
- Year-dated planners and calendars lose most value once the year begins. Academic-year planners (July to June) have a slightly different window.
- Licensed products (character backpacks, folders and lunch boxes) age with the property. A character from a hit film two years ago is a harder sell.
- Trend colors and designs in notebooks and accessories rotate yearly.
- Basics (yellow pencils, composition books, plain folders, copy paper) are evergreen.
Ink, toner and electronics
Printer cartridges have a printed install-by or expiry date. Ink can dry and toner can clump in poor storage. OEM (made by the printer brand) cartridges sell above compatible and remanufactured ones. Cartridges also follow printer models: when a printer line is discontinued, demand for its cartridges declines over time. Calculators and label makers are simple electronics; batteries and testing status matter.
Paper: heavy and sensitive
Paper products are heavy for their value. A trailer of copy paper fills by weight. Paper also absorbs moisture: curled, wavy, mildewed or yellowed paper jams printers and cannot be sold as new. Store and ship it dry and off the floor. Crushed reams and torn cartons are priced lower.
Condition tiers for office and school
| Tier | Example |
|---|---|
| New, retail packaged | Carded pens, shrink-wrapped notebooks, boxed cartridges |
| New, bulk packed | Classroom packs, loose in master cartons |
| New, damaged packaging | Torn shrink wrap, crushed boxes, product fine |
| Store stock | Mixed shelf pulls, stickered, some opened packs |
| Damaged | Wet, curled paper; dried ink; broken furniture |
Who buys office and school closeouts?
This category has an unusually wide set of buyers, which helps sellers:
| Buyer | What they take |
|---|---|
| Dollar and discount stores | Carded and packaged basics, back-to-school assortments |
| Bin stores | Mixed school supplies, licensed items, small electronics |
| Exporters | Notebooks, writing instruments, backpacks, geometry sets, in volume, timed to destination school calendars |
| School and teacher suppliers | Classroom packs, construction paper, bulk crayons and pencils |
| Office resellers and online sellers | Ink and toner, branded pens, furniture |
| Charities and school-supply drives | Usually donation rather than resale |
Exporters often want notebooks and paper in formats used in their markets, such as different ruling or page sizes. US letter-size paper and wide-ruled notebooks are not universal. Tell us formats so the offer reflects the buyers who can use them.
Brand limits on office products
Branded writing instruments and OEM ink are sometimes covered by distribution agreements and minimum advertised price policies. If yours are, say so: a MAP policy usually means a no-online restriction or an export-only deal. Licensed character products may carry license territories, which matters for export.
Office and school offer checklist
- Brand, description, pack size and UPC per SKU
- Quantity in packs and cases
- Any year printed on the product
- License name for character goods
- Ink and toner: model, OEM or compatible, install-by date
- Furniture: model, boxed or assembled, all parts present
- Condition per line
- Retail price per unit
- Photos: product, packaging date or print, master cartons, pallets
- Pallet count, weight, location, dock access
- Channel restrictions you need
Common office and school seller mistakes
- Holding year-dated planners past the start of their year
- Storing paper in a damp warehouse
- Mixing used office furniture into new boxed stock
- Not listing printer models for cartridges
- Treating licensed backpacks like basics when the license is fading
- Waiting until the next school season is almost here to sell
- Separating classroom multipacks into singles, which removes the pack format teachers and schools buy
- Shipping ink cartridges in hot trailers in midsummer without telling the buyer, since heat can shorten ink life
Glue sticks, markers and correction fluid also dry out with age. They are not dated as strictly as ink, but a sample test (does the marker write, does the glue stick) tells a buyer what they are getting and helps the price.
A worked example
For illustration only, not market data: an office supply distributor ends back-to-school with a couple of dozen pallets of leftovers: composition books, colored pencils, binders, character backpacks, and a pallet of OEM toner for a discontinued printer line.
| Line | Notes | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|
| Composition books, pencils, binders | Evergreen basics | Per case or share of wholesale cost; holds value year to year |
| Character backpacks | License past its peak | Per unit, lower; fewer buyers want a fading character |
| OEM toner | Discontinued printer line, in date | Per cartridge; depends on how many of those printers are still in use |
The distributor sells in early autumn, so export buyers can plan for schools that start later in the year, and domestic discount buyers can plan for the next US season. No dated planners are included; those were sold before the year began.
To see the buying side, visit wholesale closeout office and school supplies. Exporters are big buyers of school supplies; read how exporters buy closeouts. Send your SKU list through the offer form on this page.
Frequently asked questions
When should I sell leftover back-to-school stock?
As soon as you know it is left over. Retailers clear back-to-school after the season, and discount stores, bin stores and exporters plan the next year's school assortment months ahead. Supplies offered in early autumn can still make those plans; supplies offered just before the next season usually cannot. Basics such as pencils and paper hold value longer than licensed or trend items.
Can I get an offer on ink and toner cartridges?
Yes, new and sealed. Original manufacturer cartridges carry more value than compatible or remanufactured ones. Cartridges have an install-by or expiry date on the box, and printers change, so cartridges for current printer models sell faster. Tell us brand, model numbers, OEM or compatible, and the dates.
Can I sell last year's planners and calendars?
There is a narrow market for undated or academic-year planners close to their start date, and almost none for a calendar year already underway. Sell dated products before their year begins. Undated planners and notebooks are evergreen and sell any time.
Can I sell office furniture?
New, boxed office furniture, yes: chairs, desks, filing cabinets and storage. Used office furniture from office clear-outs is a different trade that needs inspection and often installation crews. Boxed furniture is bulky, so freight weighs on price; chairs with all parts and gas lifts intact are easiest to place.
Related
Send a list or manifest and we'll come back with an offer. Or call +1 215 278 4122.